£=:\~,.,,,                                          ,,,.,~\:=£
##£@§^*~~.                                          .~~*^§@£##
£@$¤%*\-,.                                          .,-\*%¤$@£
##¶#@%;»,,                                          ,,»;%@#¶##
¶#@§*%==,,                                          ,,==%*§@#¶
@#£@%=^~^, .   ,   «   ;              ;   ~   .   . ,^~^=%@£#@
#£%§%««-:,  ¨   -   ~   *            ^   «   -   ¨  ,:-««%§%£#
###§$§;«:¨   ¨   ~   =   /          :   ~   ,   .   ¨:«;§$§###
#@@§£%^-.¨    ,   ,   «   \        =   -   ^   .    ¨.-^%£§@@#
##£%*/=«~¨                                          ¨~«=/*%£##
##££**;»-. as  we cross the mountain,  we  can walk .-»;**££##
#@¶@§=/~:, only at  night.  long ago,  someone here ,:~/=§@¶@#
¶@¶@¤=*«~¨ must've angered the  sun,  and today  it ¨~«*=¤@¶@¶
£*~.¨¨¨.., still burns  us  strangely. but with the ,..¨¨¨.~*£
#@§£*†*-^, sunset  the air comes raining back  down ,^-*†*£§@#
#@§\~~,,., and gets  thick  enough to  breathe.  it ,.,,~~\§@#
@##¤£%*~~, carries with  it smells  from far  away, ,~~*%£¤##@
#&*/«.¨..¨ colourful sparks for  the imagination, a ¨..¨.«/*&#
£%§§»~~.¨. sharp  contrast for the  stale black  of .¨.~~»§§%£
###¶$§;-.. the night.                               ..-;§$¶###
#&%$&=^«:¨                                          ¨:«^=&$%&#
##@¤@§*=~. the others  think  i'm young, they don't .~=*§@¤@##
##@@£^:~:. take   me  seriously  and  i  fear  they .:~:^£@@##
#@@&§%\~~¨ snicker  a  bit.  you  usually  get  old ¨~~\%§&@@#
@¤=%~¨,,,. before you  learn the  trade  enough  to .,,,¨~%=¤@
##£@£%/».. take other  people. but i  do lead  them ..»/%£@£##
¤%~,,,.¨,¨ safely     forward,     every     night. ¨,¨.,,,~%¤
@@#£§$^-^¨                                          ¨^-^$§£#@@
###££%/«^. however,  currently  there  seems  to be .^«/%££###
##£¤§*==,¨ something  going on  ahead. those around ¨,==*§¤£##
@£†*,,..¨¨ the   corner   have  stopped,  shouting, ¨¨..,,*†£@
##@#*%*~~. pointing.                                .~~*%*#@##
#$=^,,,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,,,^=$#
#@&@§**«-, ,.. ¨, ,-\~, ,, ¨,¨                      ,-«**§@&@#
##¶@%*;-., ¨¨¨ .¨ ,-*~. ., ¨.,                      ,.-;*%@¶##
@#¶&£%†»~. ,,¨ ¨¨ ,~:«, ¨¨ ¨¨.                      .~»†%£&¶#@
#@££§*/»,. .,, ¨. .~/». ¨. ¨,¨                      .,»/*§££@#
##=*†*†~~¨ ,,. ¨¨ ¨«:», ,, ,..                      ¨~~†*†*=##
&=/,¨¨,,.. ¨.¨ ,. ¨«=~. ,¨ .¨.                      ..,,¨¨,/=&
¶§†=-,..,¨ ... ¨, ,~;~. ¨, ,¨¨                      ¨,..,-=†§¶
##@@$§:«~. .¨¨ ¨¨ ,«;=. ¨¨ ,,.                      .~«:§$@@##
#¤§$^-~,.¨                                          ¨.,~-^$§¤#
¤%£@†^.¨., my greatest treasure, the                ,.¨.^†@£%¤
£%».,.¨.,, book of stars,   is  a   combined   map, ,,.¨.,.»%£
#@#£¤§*»:, calendar  and  timepiece as long  as you ,:»*§¤£#@#
@§#†*^*=.. know  what year  it is. every page  is a ..=*^*†#§@
##¶&%=*»,¨ grid  of  nine starfields,  hand  drawn, ¨,»*=%&¶##
###£§$==~. below which are written  coordinates  in .~==$§£###
#££¤¤^\~~¨ both space  and  time. a  lot of  it  is ¨~~\^¤¤££#
#@@§*†^=.. applicable on  earth, but  not  all.  it ..=^†*§@@#
@^~,,.¨,,. hints  of  other  places  -  some  stars .,,¨.,,~^@
@££@§*=~., reordered,  some  names  i   have  never ,.~=*§@££@
&£=*,.¨,.. heard.    sometimes    the   dates   are ..,¨.,*=£&
#@¶&¤%/~,. impossible.                              .,~/%¤&¶@#
#§§†=-..,.                                          .,..-=†§§#
#£%*\,.¨.. those  pages are exactly what i scramble ..¨.,\*%£#
@##§«.,..¨ for  right now. i've  stopped breathing. ¨..,.«§##@
£@%†~,,,,, i sling open  the  book of  stars  a bit ,,,,,~†%@£
##@@§§=-.¨ too quick, spilling all my notes on  the ¨.-=§§@@##
#@@§£^/-,¨ ground. one  lands on  my foot,  it is a ¨,-/^£§@@#
&¤&§%§;=,, drawing  of  a muscle cow,  but  i could ,,=;§%§&¤&
@£§†»..¨,. care less right now.                     .,¨..»†§£@
###¶%*\«~¨                                          ¨~«\*%¶###
§¤$;;:»~~. for it seems like there's a new moon  in .~~»:;;$¤§
#@¶#@§:-., the sky.                                 ,.-:§@#¶@#
##@§£††=..                                          ..=††£§@##
#@@#§^\~~,                                          ,~~\^§#@@#
#@#&@†\=-,                                          ,-=\†@&#@#
¶£¤§==\~..                                          ..~\==§¤£¶
#@£#@^/»~.                                          .~»/^@#£@#
&$=†;/:~-¨                                          ¨-~:/;†=$&